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Alabama HS Team Preview: Springville Tigers

December 29, 2023
Austin Sharp
Alabama Scouting Director

The 2024 high school baseball season is quickly approaching and as usual, excitement abounds throughout the state. Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across Alabama.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in the Jacksonville/Oxford/Montgomery area at the AISA or AHSAA state championships, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes reality. We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams across the state as we preview individual teams across Alabama. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews and by continuing our scheduled podcasts and releasing our preseason top-10 rankings in each AHSAA classification.

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across the state.

Each week we will be releasing our Players of the Week, updating the top-10 ranks in each AHSAA classification, as well updating our Power 25 overall rankings. One thing, especially, you don’t want to miss are our scheduled podcasts with guests from across the state, as well as the recaps and previews of the big games we’re covering.

*Please note the information has been gathered from head coaches across the state, based on their replies to the questionnaire we distributed over this offseason.

High School: Springville Tigers
Head Coach: Jonathan Ford
Classification: AHSAA Class 5A
Area Number: Class 5A, Area 11
2023 Record (Finish): 21-14 (Eliminated in 1st Round)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6
No. of Returning Pitchers: 4
Team Strengths: Defense and Team Speed

 

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

RHP Carter Samuelson (9/9/23)

MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2025

  • C Sean Nichols (2025; uncommitted)
  • 3B Jacob Bailey (2025; uncommitted)
  • INF Kevin Jones (2025; uncommitted)

TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

Class of 2026

TEAM OUTLOOK

It was another successful 2023 campaign for the Springville Tigers, as they won their area and were able to host the 1st round of the Class 5A playoffs. While they were defeated by a Boaz squad that reached the Final Four, the Tigers will look to build off of that success in 2024 and advance even further throughout the playoffs in 2024.

The Tigers are eager to get back to the diamond in 2024 with six positional starters and four pitchers who saw time on the mound returning for another year this spring. Coach Ford is optimistic that those players will only continue to get better with another year under their belt and will look to them for upperclassmen leadership for this program. One of the biggest pieces coming back this spring will be RHP/SS Carter Samuelson (2025), who is one of the top uncommitted right-handed pitchers in the 2025 class in AL. Samuelson has a live arm on the mound, and has shown the ability to run his fastball up into the upper-80s paired with a sharp slider. He will no doubt be an important arm for them on the mound with the ability to shut down opposing offenses each time he takes the mound. He will also be a key offensive piece, too. Two more returners for Springville that are going to play a two-way role this spring will be RHP/3B Kade Willis (2025) and RHP/OF Alex Holland (2025). Both players bring back valuable experience from last year's playoff season and should only continue to get better this spring. In addition to these returners, some more talented juniors that will have an impact on their season are C Sean Nichols (2025), 3B Jacob Bailey (2025), INF Kevin Jones (2025).

While there is a good amount of upperclassmen talent on the roster this spring, the Tigers also have some intriguing younger prospects that Coach Ford & co. are excited about. Looking to make an early impact on this year's team, MIF/RHP Ryan King (2026) and 1B/RHP Grant Martinez (2025) are two of those underclassmen that will look to breakthrough at the varsity level this spring. With the returning talent from last year's playoff team and a few talented newcomers, Springville looks to once again be poised for a strong run throughout Class 5A in 2024.

Find more information on the 2024 Springville High School program below:

+ Follow them on X: @SHSTigerBBall
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Alabama, 2024 HS Team Previews

FOLLOW PREP BASEBALL ALABAMA THROUGHOUT THE SPRING

+ Prep Baseball Alabama on X
+ Prep Baseball Alabama on Instagram
+ Prep Baseball Alabama on Facebook

 

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